K_sqrd

The add states that these units do include a full warranty.

I assumed the OP meant Infra Red and not Instant Read - Sorry about that. I would go with the Thermapen as suggested above. They are excellent quality and and accurate.

Here is a link to Thermoworks... https://www.thermoworks.com/Infrareds This one is the one I have and it works great. https://www.thermoworks.com/IR-Gun

Thanks for the info on the trout prep. I'll have to give that a try as I love smoked fish.

Welcome to the forum! Man!!!! Those trout look good! Any info on how you prepared them would be appreciated.

Referencing the last pix above - the long vertical tube with the 'T' handle on it contains a large spring. There are two tubes - one on each side - to assist in opening the lid. The 'T' handle screws in and locks the lid in place when it is open. And yeah, it's pretty heavy.

That's an older K5 or K7 probably late '90's or early 2000's by the looks of the wheel base and the gas port - square hole - for the optional gas burner. It looks to be in really good shape. With a little TLC it should give you years of service. Once you fill in the hole in the back, you might be able to find some matching tile to cover it. Check with pool stores for the right color. Someone else may have another suggestion for a source. As for temp control - open the bottom and top vent to get your coals going. As you approach your desired cooking temp, set the bottom vent open about equal to the thickness of a credit card and open top vent just a few turns from closed. It will hold temp for a long time. It also takes quite a while to cool down after a cook. NOTE: Do not attempt to tighten the top vent for a snug fit when shutting down because you may end up jamming it in place. Just give it a good spin till it stops by itself and make sure that the bottom vent is tightly closed. BTW - Welcome to the world of Kamado and to this forum.

AH yes... the old solar and wind dryer. I remember it well. LOL! Give this place a try. https://www.lehmans.com/search?w=clothes+pins

Yeah, the prices are more than what you find at the local chain stores. LOL! I might have to look into this though as our anniversary is coming up and my wife is a carnivore. A steak and maybe a lobster tail, some martinis... Hmmm - will have to think about this.

Omaha Steaks & meats are also shipped frozen. I think that the Omaha products are a bit over priced but quality is fine. We have both sent and received steaks as gifts and never had a bad one. I've never heard of the other one you referenced. A number of K owners here order from Snake River Farms. http://www.snakeriverfarms.com/

I use various pieces of cast iron cookware on the grill all the time and have not had any problems. Some of the same cookware is also used on our electric stove - no problems there either.

Here is a link to a chart showing sub primal beef cuts... https://www.beefboard.org/library/files/BeefCutsGuide.pdfhttps://www.beefboard.org/library/files/BeefCutsGuide.pdf The cuts you reference are part of the chuck. I did a shoulder clod a couple of years ago on my Kamado. The clod was over 20 pounds and was an overnight low & slow cook. It turned out great - very moist, tender and flavorful. It's a lot of meat and can be used for pulled beef as opposed to pulled pork. My wife reminded me that we have one in the freezer that we bought and cut into smaller pieces to use for Pot Roast. Unless you have an extra large Kamado and a very heavy duty rotisserie unit I would not attempt using that method. Pork cushions come from the pork picnic cut and are said to be good for pulled pork. My experience was that they were kind of dry and didn't pull at all but YMMV. Give them a try.

Congratulations on your new grill. That looks like a lot of fun and will provide a lot good eats!

Here is a recipe that I did several years ago when I had a fresh ham. I did it on an offset smoker so didn't follow the directions exactly but it still turned out great. "Coca-Cola "Ham" Fresh "ham" comes from the pig's hind leg. (You buy fresh pork leg to brine, not a cured, smoked ham.) Because a whole leg is quite large, it is usually cut into two sections. The sirloin, or butt, end is harder to carve than our favorite, the shank end. If you don't have room in your refrigerator, brine the pork in an insulated cooler or a small new plastic garbage can and add five or six freezer packs to the brine to keep it well cooled. 1 bone-in fresh half leg of pork with skin, 6 to 8 pounds, preferably shank end, rinsed, or boneless pork loin (see notes) Brine: 3 C. kosher salt or 1 1/2 C. table salt 3 2-liter bottles Coca-Cola Classic 2 heads garlic, cloves separated, lightly crushed and peeled 10 bay leaves 1/2 C. black peppercorns, crushed Garlic and herb rub: 1 C. lightly packed fresh sage leaves 1/2 C. lightly packed fresh parsley leaves 8 medium cloves garlic, peeled 1 T. kosher salt or 11/2 teaspoons table salt 1/2 T. ground black pepper 1/4 C. olive oil Coca-Cola Glaze With Lime and Jalapeno (recipe follows) Carefully slice through skin and fat with serrated knife, making 1-inch diamond pattern. Be careful not to cut into meat. To make brine: In large (about 16-quart) bucket or stockpot, dissolve salt in Coke. Add garlic, bay leaves and crushed peppercorns. Submerge ham in brine and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours. Set large, disposable roasting pan on baking sheet for extra support; place flat wire rack in roasting pan. Remove ham from brine; rinse under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Place ham cut-side down on rack. (If using sirloin end, place ham skin-side up.) Let ham stand, uncovered, at room temperature 1 hour. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat oven to 500°F. To make rub: In work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade, process sage, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and oil until mixture forms smooth paste, about 30 seconds. Rub all sides of ham with paste. Roast ham at 500°F. for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. and continue to roast, brushing ham with glaze every 45 minutes, until center of ham registers 145 to 150°F. on instant-read thermometer, about 2 1/2 hours longer. Tent ham loosely with foil and let stand until center of ham registers 155 to 160°F. on thermometer, 30 to 40 minutes. Carve (follow accompanying illustration) and serve. Notes: When ordering a fresh half leg of pork, tell butcher to leave fat and skin on the outside intact, unscored. To roast a 5-pound boneless pork loin, cook at the same temperature as the half leg, allowing about 20 to 25 minute per pound. Take the roast out when it reaches 155°F. Tent loosely with aluminum foil until it registers 160°F. Coca-Cola Glaze With Lime and Jalapeno 1 C. Coca-Cola Classic 1/4 C. lime juice (2 limes) 2 C. firmly packed dark or light brown sugar 2 medium jalapeno chilies, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices Bring Coca-Cola, lime juice, brown sugar and chilies to a boil in small nonreactive saucepan over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/3 cups, 5 to 7 minutes. (Glaze will thicken as it cools between bastings; heat over medium heat about 1 minute, stirring once or twice, before using.) Makes about 1 1/3 cups, enough to glaze ham. Makes 10 servings. -- From "The America's Test Kitchen Cookbook"

Thanks for posting. We've been buying olive oil from the Queen Creek Olive Mill for many years also. We particularly like their flavored oils such as the Mayer Lemon, Blood Orange and Chili. The Lemon and Blood Orange mix well with pomegranate vinegar for a salad dressing. A light coating of the Chili oil on fish or chicken gives it a little kick when grilling. They have greatly expanded their business over the years and have become quite popular, especially during the Snowbird season. Next time you visit the Olive Mill, check out the Pork Shop just a few miles down the road. They have excellent pork products and I believe they are sourced from Iowa. Take a cooler and stock up. You won't be disappointed. Here is a link to their shop... http://theporkshopaz.com/